The Way it Could Have Been
by Mrs. Knightley
Summary: Goku is always feeling like Sanzo is always helping him and he can never do anything for Sanzo. Goku is fast enough to take the hit and I think he would have. Will they make it back to the town in time? Rewrite of Episode 20 of Saiyuki.


**Chapter 1**

With lots of help from Ms. Zeal my first attempt at Fan Fiction is complete. Now before you tell me, I know, I took one of the great episodes and cut out the best part but you have to start somewhere right? Goku is always feeling like he can never do anything for Sanzo. He is fast enough and I think he would have...**  
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**Disclaimer:** Nothing of importance, worth, or really anything of value in this story belongs to me.**  
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Sanzo turned back to the demon lying on the floor, stooping down so he was eye level with her, he said, in a slightly softer voice, "Hey—I want you to tell me something. Where are the sutras? Mine and the one you took from the other Sanzo?"

"Sutras? You might find the other one lying around the castle somewhere. Yours is in the cabinet behind you," said the demon, looking up at him, a mixture of fear and hatred in her eyes.

Sanzo stood up, turning towards the cabinet.

An evil smirk spread over the demon's face as she extended her poison filled claws towards the monk's back.

"Sanzo, look out!"

The monk turned to see Goku standing directly behind him, a surprised, almost satisfied look on his face.

"Goku!"

The monkey staggered, falling forward. Easily catching the teen before he hit the ground, Sanzo drew his gun and pointed it at the demon.

Hakkai was at the priest's side in an instant. "Hold him, Sanzo, while I close his wounds." He looked at the puncture marks and his eyes widened as he saw the purple oozing around the wounds and staining Goku's clothes. "Poison," he breathed, looking up at Sanzo. "There is nothing I can do for him."

"Antidote. Now!" said Sanzo, a deadly anger in his voice.

"Antidote? Why would I keep an antidote for my own poison?" she jeered, flexing her claws again.

"That's too bad," stated the priest, beginning to squeeze the trigger. "I guess you have outlived your usefulness."

The gun went off, the noise echoing loudly in the underground room.

"No! That-that's impossible! How could you kill me? I'm an-an immortal!" screamed the woman as the echoing died away, and her body disintegrated.

"If nothing else, it looks like we laid that old immortality fairy tale to rest," said Hakkai, looking at the spot where they demon had been.

"Stupid monkey," breathed the priest. Gently, he laid Goku on the ground. He stood and quickly began searching the cabinet for his scripture. Retrieving it, he returned and carefully lifted Goku into his arms. "We need to get out of here. Did either of you see a way out?"

"Sanzo's right, we should probably head back to the village—they will probably have some serum or something. I'm sure scorpion stings are common in a dessert area like this. They are bound to have something on hand," Hakkai said.

"But how are we going to find an exit when we don't even know how we got in this stupid place?" asked Gojyo, staring around the room.

Jut then they heard a loud crash in the hallway outside of the room and a loud rushing sound steadily growing louder.

"It sounded like something big collapsed inside the tunnel," the redhead said, watching as cracks appeared along the ceiling above them.

"No, it can't be!" Hakkai said, a look of dawning comprehension on his face. "We are underground, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, so?" said Gojyo.

"And do you remember how we broke ourselves out of the prison just now?"

"…By breaking through a wall," the redhead replied, still not sure where this was going.

"And if the central wall to an underground passage were destroyed, what do you think would happen?"

"Please tell me you were not that stupid," Sanzo interjected, seeing where Hakkai was going with this.

"I didn't see you coming to help us out, your high and mightiness!" yelled Gojyo, gearing up for a fight.

Hakkai cut across before Sanzo could reply. "Now is not really the time…" An ominous cracking noise overhead made them all look up.

"The ceiling is caving in!" yelled the kappa.

Quickly, Hakkai summoned his chi, a ball of light forming between his hands. He cast a protective barrier above them just as the ceiling collapsed beneath the weight of the sand above."I'm afraid I can only shield us from above, so please be careful that you don't get buried from below."

The sand was beating down on the protective barrier cast by the green-eyed man. It was an effort to maintain the barrier with such a weight coming down against it. Sand was rapidly filling the room and the occupants had to keep moving to remain on top of it. The effort of the barrier was all Hakkai could manage and he was already ankle deep in the sand.

"What about you, man—you're going to be buried alive!" said the kappa, watching in horror at the rapidly rising sand on the floor. "Damn, of all the things, I never thought sand would be what did me in. How lame is that?" he finished, almost to himself.

Just then, something else gave way above them and the amount of sand pouring into the room doubled. The added weight of it was almost more than Hakkai could bear. He groaned under the added burden, his body fighting hard to maintain the only thing that stood between them and a miserable suffocating death. He began to shake, his knees starting to buckle from the added effort.

"Just give it up, Hakkai! You're gonna give yourself an aneurism, if you keep fighting against it like that!" said Gojyo taking a step nearer his friend.

"I…would choose…that to being…buried…alive in this place…any day!" Hakkai stammered. The effort it took to speak was almost too much.

There was a final crash overhead as the last remaining wall finally gave out and the sand poured down.

"I can't hold it!" Hakkai yelled, feeling the barrier weaken and almost give out.

"Crap!" breathed Gojyo holding an arm up to try to help shield his eyes from the pouring sand.

Kneeling, Sanzo protectively held Goku's unconscious body close to him. He brought two fingers in front of his mouth and began to chant.

As everything went black, there came a rushing sound. Hakkai felt more than saw the scripture snaking out around them, the familiar surge of power forming a protective shield. Suddenly the light broke through from above, as the sutra blasted the sand away. They opened their eyes to see themselves standing in a vast shallow pit in the middle of the desert. Gojyo was standing, one arm still raised above his head, Hakkai on his hands and knees panting for air, and Sanzo still holding Goku.

"It stopped," gasped Hakkai.

"Is everyone still alive?" asked Sanzo, glancing around at his companions.

"Kyuu!"

They all looked up to see the little dragon flying towards them. "Hakuryuu!" cried Hakkai, surprised to see his little friend. He stood, and held out his arms as the dragon flew to him. He caught him and looking at the tiny white dragon, he could tell there was something wrong. His hot little body was covered in sand and his head rested limply across Hakkai's wrists.

"You waited here all this time, little fella?" he asked softly. "Alone in the scorching hot sun, you're quite a little trooper." The dragon kyuued weakly.

"He looks pretty bad," said Gojyo, walking over to where Hakkai stood. "In this condition…"

"Yes," continued the demon. "I doubt he will be able to carry us anywhere when he is like this." Suddenly, the emerald-eyed man fell to his knees, clutching the small dragon protectively to his chest.

"Hakkai!" said Gojyo, moving to the man's side. "Next time don't go pulling those kinds of heroics just to show off, hear me?"

Hakkai put his hand to his head, smiling faintly. "I'm sorry," he said, his gaze turning to the redhead at his side.

Gojyo was not looking at him but staring ahead. "It just makes me feel so pathetic…"

"That's because you are," the monk interrupted.

"Why, you sorry--" Gojyo began, but the priest cut him off.

"Gojyo, help Hakkai. We're leaving."

"What?! Jut where do you think we're going?" the kappa replied, anger still coloring his voice.

"Look, I didn't escape that tomb to bake to death in the desert. Now, let's go," Sanzo said, turning in the direction of the village they had come from.

"I should have known it was you clowns," came a new voice as Kougaiji stepped to the edge of the shallow pit.

The priest turned, glaring at the newcomer with a look that made even the demon prince take a step back. "I don't have time for you," he stated simply.

It was then that Kougaiji noticed the limp form in Sanzo's arms. "What happened to Goku?" he asked.

"He's been poisoned. I don't suppose Miss Yaone is here, is she?" Hakkai asked, his voice hopeful even though he knew the answer.

"I'm afraid she won't be joining us today," replied Dokugakuji, standing beside Kougaiji. "So, you ran into the demon lady of the desert?"

"Yeah, but I'm afraid we had to kill her," said Gojyo, looking at his brother.

"Hey, that demon was supposed to have one of the founding scriptures of heaven and earth on her, ya know."

Sanzo ignored the conversation, turning his attention to the unresponsive body held carefully in his arms, The small body looked so frail: his eyes closed, breaths coming in shallow, uneven gasps. His body trembled slightly, small beads of sweat forming on his face. _This is a waste of time—we are a long ways from the town and I don't know how long Goku can last without medical attention. __We__ need to move._ "Enough of this, let's go," he interrupted. He turned his back on the others and started walking.

_What?_ thought Kougaiji. _He doesn't even care about the other scripture?_ "Hold up, Sanzo. I just happen to have a flying dragon parked nearby and I'd be happy to let you borrow it on one condition. You have to defeat me first."

Sanzo stopped again, glaring at the demon. "Quit wasting my time," he said disdainfully. "You expect me to believe that if I beat you, you're just going to hand me your dragon, thus leaving you with no way out of the desert? How stupid do you think I am?" he asked before continuing on his way.

"I'm not giving you a choice," the demon prince said, summoning a fireball and throwing it at the priest's unprotected back.

"Sanzo, behind you!" Hakkai cried.

The priest nimbly dodged to the side, gently laying Goku on the ground before turning back to face Kougaiji. He stood protectively in front of the saru, ignoring the sand showering down on him from the explosion. "You wanna die that badly? Then come on." Then monk closed his eyes, bringing his hands together in the familiar sign as he began chanting.

Realizing what the monk was doing, Kougaiji quickly began summoning a fiend, hoping to destroy the blond before the scripture could be activated.

"Gojyo—we need to get behind Sanzo and quickly!" Hakkai said, pushing himself to his feet and moving out of the line of fire.

The fiend appeared, bursting out of the sand and roaring as it rushed towards the priest. Sanzo opened his eyes, seeming to be waiting for the monster's arrival. "Makai Tenjyo!"

The two powers collided, sand filling the air as the explosion shook the ground. Gojyo struggled to remain on his feet, one arm helping to steady Hakkai next to him while the other shielded his face from the sand. He squinted, trying to see through the dirt and dust obscuring everything else from sight. "What happened?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. "I can't see anything!"

"Neither can I," came the tired voice of his friend. "Don't move—I have found Goku and we need to stay with him."

Slowly the dust began to settle, revealing the battlefield. Sanzo stood in front of them calmly, as if nothing had happened. Kougaiji and Dokugakuji were nowhere to be seen. Without so much as a backwards glance, the monk turned and wordlessly picked up Goku. "Let's go."

"Wow," breathed Gojyo as he and Hakkai followed after the gunman. "I've never seen Sanzo so…intense."

"I am sure he is just worried about Goku," said Hakkai softly.

The group walked along in silence for a while, Sanzo in the lead carrying the unconscious saru. Gojyo walked next to Hakkai the small white dragon cradled in his arms. At length, the silence was broken by the kyuuing of the little animal. "Feeling better?" asked Hakkai, looking down at his friend.

"Kyuu!" replied the small creature.

"Feel up to carrying us for a while?" he asked as the dragon took flight from his arms.

The white animal bobbed its head up and down. "Kyuu!"

Hakkai smiled. "Many thanks, my friend. Where would we be without you?"

Hakuryuu flew down to the ground, landing on the sand before transforming into the jeep. The tall brunette smiled, taking his customary position behind the wheel. "We really are in a hurry. Goku needs to get to the town as fast as possible," he said seriously.

Sanzo climbed in and, to Gojyo's great surprised, settled himself in the back of the jeep, lying Goku out on the seat. The redhead opened his mouth to make a comment but, at a look from Hakkai, wisely decided against it and climbed into the front. "It doesn't look good for the kid, does it," he said quietly to the man beside him. "He has been out of it for a while now."

Surprisingly, a reply came from the back seat. "You can't get rid of him this easily. He is too much of a pain for that."

Hakkai smiled to himself. Despite the indifferent tone of the priest, he knew the blond was really worried. He put the jeep into gear, kicking up sand as he stepped on the gas. _We have to get Goku to the town as soon as possible!_

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Goku opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling above him. For a moment he wondered where he was and how he got there. A familiar voice interrupted his musing.

"Finally decided to wake up, did you? You always were a lazy monkey."

Goku sat up to see the only other occupant in the small room, Sanzo sitting at a table, glasses on his nose, reading the paper. To his left there was a small cup of tea. It was evening and the sun could be seen heading towards the horizon out of the window.

"Sanzo you're ok!" he said cheerfully, wincing a little at the soreness in his back.

"Tch, of course I am, baka saru," came the older man's reply.

"Where are we?"

"Back in the village, you have been out of it for a day and a half. We have wasted so much time, I was beginning to think you were going to sleep all week!" replied the monk, not even looking up.

Goku smiled to himself.

The door opened and Hakkai's head appeared around the corner. "Sanzo, are you sure you don't want to come down and eat—oh, Goku, you are awake! I hope you are feeling better. I was pretty worried about you, but Sanzo has been watching over you."

"This is my room, where else am I supposed to be?" said the priest in an annoyed tone.

Hakkai smiled knowingly at the blond.

"Whatever," said Sanzo glaring at the green-eyed man before disappearing behind his paper again.

Feeling a change of subject would be a good idea, he turned his attention back to the now awake teen. "How are you feeling, Goku? Could I get you something to eat?" he asked kindly.

"Yeah, that would be great! Thanks, Hakkai!" replied the boy enthusiastically.

Hakkai turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. The two sat in silence. After a moment, the golden-eyed youth spoke again, "So, what happened to the scorpion demon?"

"I shot her," said the monk as he turned the page of the paper.

There was another moment of silence before the boy spoke again. "Come on, Sanzo, tell me what happened."

Sanzo cringed as Goku's voiced rose in pitch. "If you are going to start whining, you can just go back to sleep."

"Oh, come on, I just want to know what happened," he pleaded persistently.

The priest sighed, setting his paper aside. "We killed the demon, got back my scripture, escaped the castle, which was collapsing because some idiot decided to destroy a main supporting wall, fought and defeated Kougaiji, and then I got to carry your sorry carcass back to the town." He looked up, piercing violet eyes meeting golden. "What were you thinking, Goku? Haven't I always told you to think before you act? Were you trying to get yourself killed!?!"

The brunet flinched as the ranting broke out, expecting a fan to the head at any moment. "No, I was not trying to get myself killed, but I couldn't just stand there while she attacked you," came the boy's defiant reply. "She was going to stab you in the back."

"Oh, so she poisoned you instead and that's better?" retorted the priest sarcastically.

The saru hung his head, "No…" he muttered, then looking up at the gunman. "But I couldn't just let her stab you, Sanzo, "he said softly.

They stared at each other for a moment, then the monk looked away. "You are such an idiot."

Goku leaned back into his pillow, letting his gaze rest on the ceiling as a smile played about his lips. "I know."

THE END


End file.
